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Heart disease
Parents of children with congenital heart disease
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Discovery :
Parent's reactions
Telling others
Your ideas about causes
Finding information
Sources of support
Talking to health professionals
After birth:
Signs, symptoms & diagnosis after birth
During pregnancy:
Scans, tests & decisions during pregnancy
Preparing for birth & labour
Adapting to life :
How it affects daily life
Follow-up
Coping
Talking to your child about their heart
Financial concerns
Messages to other parents
Impact on family
How it affects parents
How it affects relationships
How it affects siblings
How it affects grandparents
Feeding & medication :
Feeding
Medication
The death of a child :
Dying in hospital
Funeral, post mortem & inquest
Bereavement, sources support & reactions of others
Surgery & cardiac catheterisation :
Emergency surgery
Waiting for an operation
The operation
Accommodation for parents
Paediatric intensive care
Moving to the ward
Taking your child home
Pacemakers
Child's quality of life & development :
A child's quality of life
A child's development
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Parents of children with congenital heart disease
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Heart disease
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Parents of children with congenital heart disease
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Child aged 1-3
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Interview CH06
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Said he found it difficult to handle the situation or to talk to people it until their baby was born.
Their daughter was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome, Tricuspid Valve, Coarctation of the Aorta, Transposition of the Great Arteries. Treatment: A banding operation at 22 hrs old, repeated at 1 week old. A cardiac catheter at 10 months and a CP shunt at 1 yr. Further palliative operations planned. Current medication: Phenoxybenzamine Hydrochloride.
Heart disease
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Parents of children with congenital heart disease
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Child aged 1-3
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Interview CH10
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Describes feeling numb, devastated and shock when his wife told him that their unborn baby had a heart defect.
Their son was diagnosed with Transposition of the Great Arteries, ASD, VSD, Atrial Isomerism and Pulmonary Stenosis. He has Dextro cardia and Bronchial Isomerism. Treatment: none given yet, surgery planned for when their son is older. Current medication: ventolin & flixotide for asthma.
Heart disease
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Parents of children with congenital heart disease
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Child aged 1-3
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Interview CH08
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Explains that finding out at 20 weeks that her baby had a serious defect she didn't feel able to plan for his birth or the future until he was about t
Daniel was diagnosed with Tricuspid Atresia, Hypoplastic Right Ventricle, VSD and Transposition of the Great Arteries. Treatment: cardiac catheter at 24 hrs old, banding operation at 2 weeks old, followed by 1st stage Fontan at 10 months old. Further catheters and surgery planned. Current medication: warfarin.
Heart disease
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Parents of children with congenital heart disease
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Child aged under 1
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Interview CH01
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She felt like she was going through a bereavement and was cut off from the contact with midwives she could have expected in a normal pregnancy once sh
Their son was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Treatment: Japanese Stage 1 Norwood at 4 days old and Stage 2 Norwood at 4 months old. Stage 3 is planned for pre-school. Heart Scan at local hospital every 3 months. Current medication: aspirin, captopril. Monthly injection to prevent bronchial infections.
Heart disease
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Parents of children with congenital heart disease
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Child aged over 5
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Interview CH02
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She stopped telling people about her baby's heart condition during pregnancy because it would upset them.
Thomas was diagnosed with Tricuspid Atresia, Transposition of the Great Arteries and Coarctation of the Aorta. Treatment: An arterial switch operation at 36 hrs old followed by a BT shunt at 5 months, a Kawashima at 33 months and a Fontan at age 7. Current medication: wafarin.
Heart disease
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Parents of children with congenital heart disease
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Child aged over 5
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Interview CH02
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She didn't bond with her baby during pregnancy because she was afraid she would lose him and would have preferred not to have discovered her baby's he
Thomas was diagnosed with Tricuspid Atresia, Transposition of the Great Arteries and Coarctation of the Aorta. Treatment: An arterial switch operation at 36 hrs old followed by a BT shunt at 5 months, a Kawashima at 33 months and a Fontan at age 7. Current medication: wafarin.
Heart disease
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Parents of children with congenital heart disease
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Child aged under 1
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Interview CH03
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Is glad that they discovered her son's complex heart condition during pregnancy, as it meant that the best possible medical care was given to him when
Their son was diagnosed with Tricuspid Atresia, a large VSD, ASD, small right ventricle and small pulmonary artery. Treatment: Modified BT Shunt and Atrial Septostomy at 24 hrs old. Cardiac catheters planned. Further operations planned when their child is older. Current medication: diuretics, aspirin, sytron, anti-reflux and lactulose.
Heart disease
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Parents of children with congenital heart disease
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Child aged 1-3
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Interview CH30
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Explains that her daughter's heart defect was just bad luck and she did not see any benefits in dwelling on what the cause might have been.
Their daughter was diagnosed with pulmonary atresia, VSD, and an overiding aorta. Treatment: closed heart surgery (shunt) at 11 days old closed heart surgery (shunt) at 11 months old. Corrective open heart surgery at 2 and a half yrs old. Current medication: none.
Heart disease
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Parents of children with congenital heart disease
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Child aged 4-5
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Interview CH26
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Believes her daughter's heart defect happened for a reason and she didn't blame anyone for it.
Her daughter was diagnosed with Partial Ventricular Septal Defect after GP noticed a heart murmur when she was two. Treatment: open heart surgery to repair hole and mend the valve at 2½ yrs old. Pacemaker fitted 5 days after surgery. Possibility of further surgery in the future. Current medication: none.
Heart disease
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Parents of children with congenital heart disease
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Child aged 1-3
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Interview CH12
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Explains why they decided to have an amniocentesis and the positive benefits of it.
Their daughter was diagnosed with ostium primum Atrial Septal Defect (ASD). Treatment: Surgery at 18 months old to close the hole with a dacron patch. Stitches in the mitral valve. No further surgery planned. Current medication: none.
Heart disease
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Parents of children with congenital heart disease
>>
Child aged 1-3
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Interview CH12
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Describes the positive way the cardiologist handled communicating the results of her scan during pregnancy.
Their daughter was diagnosed with ostium primum Atrial Septal Defect (ASD). Treatment: Surgery at 18 months old to close the hole with a dacron patch. Stitches in the mitral valve. No further surgery planned. Current medication: none.
Heart disease
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Parents of children with congenital heart disease
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Child aged 1-3
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Interview CH14
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A mother of twins describes how she decided to continue with her pregnancy when she was told one of them had a serious heart defect.
Sam was diagnosed with a complete Atrioventricular Septal Defect (AVSD), pulmonary atresia and right atrial isomerism. Other problems: No spleen and mal-rotation of the gut. Treatment: A BT shunt at 24 hrs old, followed by the Glenn procedure at 6 months. More surgery planned. Current medication: warfarin, penicillin.
Heart disease
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Parents of children with congenital heart disease
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Child aged over 5
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Interview CH02
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Explain that quality of life was an important factor in their decision to proceed with her pregnancy.
Thomas was diagnosed with Tricuspid Atresia, Transposition of the Great Arteries and Coarctation of the Aorta. Treatment: An arterial switch operation at 36 hrs old followed by a BT shunt at 5 months, a Kawashima at 33 months and a Fontan at age 7. Current medication: wafarin.
Heart disease
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Parents of children with congenital heart disease
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Child aged under 1
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Interview CH01
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Explain that they chose to proceed with the pregnancy and opt for surgery because they would not have considered a termination.
Their son was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Treatment: Japanese Stage 1 Norwood at 4 days old and Stage 2 Norwood at 4 months old. Stage 3 is planned for pre-school. Heart Scan at local hospital every 3 months. Current medication: aspirin, captopril. Monthly injection to prevent bronchial infections.
Heart disease
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Parents of children with congenital heart disease
>>
Child aged 1-3
>>
Interview CH06
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It was difficult during pregnancy for the doctors to give them a complete diagnosis of their baby's heart defects & it was hard to make a decision abo
Their daughter was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome, Tricuspid Valve, Coarctation of the Aorta, Transposition of the Great Arteries. Treatment: A banding operation at 22 hrs old, repeated at 1 week old. A cardiac catheter at 10 months and a CP shunt at 1 yr. Further palliative operations planned. Current medication: Phenoxybenzamine Hydrochloride.
Topic
Heart disease
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Parents of children with congenital heart disease
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Scans, tests & decisions during pregnancy
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Scans, tests & decisions during pregnancy
Scans, tests & decisions during pregnancy
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